For purposes of operating a press room, especially of the flexo/gravure type, there are various different types of equipment that are typically required. It is known, however, that a steady supply of ink is always needed and, thus, the supply must regularly be brought from a storage location to the press room on an ongoing basis. Due to the significant requirement for this material, there has been recognition of the need for improvements in the delivery and utilization system therefor.
More specifically, it is known to be important to have ink available to a press at all times. It is likewise essential to see that downtime during replenishment of the supply of ink to a press is minimized to the extent possible. Otherwise, the press room will experience a degree of inefficiency that is unacceptable in modern practice.
If at all possible, it would be advantageous to be able to have a virtually continuous ink supply available in a press room. For instance, it would be highly desirable to have duplicate ink tanks, each having its own pump, present on each line in a press room such that, as soon as one ink tank is depleted it can either be refilled from a bulk supply source such as a five gallon bucket or the like or, alternatively, the other tank can immediately be connected to the line in order to reduce or eliminate downtime. In this manner, a full ink tank/pump could then be brought to the line immediately following the switch over to replace the depleted ink tank/pump.
Furthermore, it is essential to have another tank available during changeover from one color of ink to another. It is not possible in such case to simply add ink to a tank that was just used for a different color of ink. In order to avoid downtime, it would be desirable to have a tank of the new, changeover color available immediately.
In addition, it would desirable to be able to prevent the ink from splashing out of the tank such as during transport from the ink room to the press. This would be especially critical in the event that each ink tank was set up with its own pump in a "ready" condition in a storage location before delivery to the line in the press room. Otherwise, the ink would be likely to spill or from the tank and, thereby, cause a potential hazard for the health and safety of workers in and around the press room.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the foregoing problems and achieving one or more of the resulting objects.